Cellular and Synaptic Physiology of Auditory Processing

听觉处理的细胞和突触生理学

• 批准号: 7107951
• 负责人: Claudio V Mello
• 金额: $ 3.44万
• 依托单位: OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-07-01 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7107951
• 关键词: auditory pathways; behavioral /social science research tag; behavioral habituation /sensitization; brain morphology; communication behavior; corpus striatum; electrophysiology; experience; immunocytochemistry; learning; memory; neural information processing; neural plasticity; neurophysiology; songbirds; stimulus /response; verbal behavior; vocalization; voltage /patch clamp

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This FIRCA proposal is for a collaborative research project between Dr. Ricardo M. Leao, of the Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Dr. Claudio Mello of the Neurological Sciences Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland Oregon. Dr. Mello's NIH Grant (R01- DC02853; Gene regulation in auditory learning}, is the parent grant to this proposal. This proposal is concerned with brain circuits involved in the auditory processing of song in songbirds, more specifically the circuitry organization of the caudomedial neostriatum (NCM) in the zebra finch. The long-term goal is to elucidate the involvement of NCM in vocal communication and vocal learning. The proposed research objectives are to understand how the song processing circuits in NCM are functionally organized and whether and how these circuits are modified by experience. NCM is a major area within the auditory processing pathways of songbirds, comparable to portions of the auditory cortex of mammals. NCM neurons show robust electrophysiological responses to song and a long-lasting, stimulus- specific decrease ("habituation") of these responses upon repeated presentations of the same stimulus. This experience- dependent plasticity in NCM is a major candidate for a mechanism involved in song auditory memories. In addition, NCM neurons show marked song-induced expression of the transcription factor zenk. The established link between zenk and neuronal plasticity in mammals suggests that zenk expression in NCM is associated with synaptic plasticity in NCM circuitry. However, the information on the cellular and synaptic physiology of NCM required for testing hypotheses on the functions of NCM and song-induced zenk expression is currently not available. The proposed experiments will use electrophysiological recordings in slices in combination with morphological, tract-tracing, and immunocytochemical analysis to determine the circuit organization of NCM and to evaluate whether the habituation of NCM to song involves changes in the properties of the neuronal cells that constitute song auditory processing circuits in NCM. Results from the proposed study will contribute to our understanding of how auditory processing circuits for learned vocalizations are organized and modified by experience. Because birdsong is a learned vocal behavior, these studies will potentially help us understand how humans acquire speech, as well as possible mechanisms involved in certain speech and language disorders.

描述（由申请人提供）：本FIRCA提案是为Ricardo M.巴西圣保罗里贝劳普雷托医学院生理学系的Leao博士和俄勒冈州波特兰市俄勒冈州健康与科学大学神经科学研究所的Claudio Mello博士。Mello博士的NIH基金（R 01-DC 02853;听觉学习中的基因调控）是这项提案的母基金。 本研究的目的是探讨鸣禽鸣唱听觉处理的脑回路，特别是斑胸草雀尾内侧新纹状体（NCM）的脑回路组织。长期的目标是阐明NCM参与声乐交流和声乐学习。建议的研究目标是了解如何在NCM的歌曲处理电路的功能组织，以及这些电路是否以及如何修改的经验。 NCM是鸣禽听觉处理通路中的主要区域，与哺乳动物的听觉皮层部分相当。NCM神经元显示出对歌曲的稳健的电生理反应，以及在重复呈现相同刺激时这些反应的持久的、刺激特异性的降低（“习惯化”）。NCM的这种经验依赖性可塑性是歌曲听觉记忆机制的主要候选者。此外，NCM神经元显示出显著的歌曲诱导的转录因子zenk的表达。在哺乳动物中zenk和神经元可塑性之间建立的联系表明，zenk在NCM中的表达与NCM电路中的突触可塑性相关。然而，NCM和歌曲诱导的zenk表达的功能测试假设所需的NCM的细胞和突触生理学的信息是目前不可用的。 拟议的实验将使用电生理记录切片结合形态学，跟踪，和免疫细胞化学分析，以确定电路组织的NCM和评估是否习惯的NCM歌曲涉及的神经元细胞，构成歌曲的听觉处理电路在NCM的属性的变化。从拟议的研究结果将有助于我们了解如何学习发声的听觉处理电路的组织和修改的经验。由于鸟鸣是一种习得性的发声行为，这些研究将有助于我们了解人类如何获得语言，以及某些语言和语言障碍的可能机制。